


A Soul for a Soul

by nicoledove



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Fix-It, Gen, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-08 20:33:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18902140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nicoledove/pseuds/nicoledove
Summary: A fix-it in which someone returns an Infinity Stone and gets someone back, too.





	A Soul for a Soul

When Steve pictured Vormir, all he could think of was the edge of a murderous cliff, a view of a barren night sky, and a deafening silence as people contemplated their deaths.

It is not really what he pictured.

He looks down at the water he’s standing in, at the dark desert ground just beneath. He takes a shallow breath, wondering if this alien air will make him feel sick, but it doesn’t. He relaxes a little and raises his eyes. The entire scene is overcast in shades of black and purple, and up ahead is a dark mountain, with two rectangular monoliths aimed at the sky.

Steve’s grip tightens around the briefcase that holds the Soul Stone. He has already returned the other stones, and he saved this for the end because this is the one Natasha sacrificed her life for, and it is the last one he wants to let go.

He goes up the mountain. When he comes upon an archway, a strange hissing noise makes him hold the briefcase even tighter, but he stands his ground when a cloaked figure appears in front of him, its face hidden in shadow.

“Welcome,” the figure says, its voice calm. “Steve, son of Sarah. I am astonished that you are still alive.”

Of  _ course _ this creature expects Thanos to have won, to have killed everyone who stood in his way. “Thanos lost,” Steve snaps, irritated. “He’s gone.”

“Oh.” The figure doesn’t sound surprised. “That’s not what I meant.”

It comes forward until Steve can see its face, and he resists the urge to gape in shock. Red Skull, his enemy from decades ago, is standing right in front of him, floating in a cloak on Vormir, the Stonekeeper of the Soul Stone.

Steve laughs. “So this is where you’ve been.” He eyes his former enemy with bitter resentment.

Red Skull simply nods. That world-domineering cockiness from the war is completely gone. Now, it seems he is only interested in guidance. “Why have you come here?” he asks.

Steve’s mirth has vanished, and his voice is stiff as he says, “I came to return the Soul Stone.”

“Return?” Red Skull looks surprised. “I’ve never seen the Soul Stone be returned. There is so much power in that little rock, and I can’t imagine why someone wouldn't keep it.”

“It doesn’t belong to me, or to anyone,” Steve says. “How do I return it?”

“Right this way.”

Red Skull turns around, and Steve follows him up to the cliff, right between the two monoliths. Steve stops and closes his eyes until he can’t take it anymore, and then he steps right up to the very edge, looking down at the drop. Natasha isn’t there. Nothing is there except for a few dark stains. 

He backs away slowly, glad that her body has disappeared like the offerings that came before, that it will not lie forever on the cold, hard ground of this forsaken planet. He blinks to keep tears away, hoping that she is at peace.

“A soul for a soul,” Red Skull says quietly. “That is the price to gain the stone.”

Steve hates the reminder; it has no meaning right now. He’s just here to put it back, not to gain anything, and he hopes no one will ever come to take it. Some things are best left alone. He says nothing as he opens the briefcase and plucks the orange stone from the case foam.

Red Skull gestures toward the drop. “Let it go.”

As Steve nears the edge with the stone held out in front of him, it begins to glow, a pulsing orange that brightens with every step he takes. When he’s reached as far as he can, he says a silent  _ thank you _ and drops it.

He watches it fall, but then his attention turns upward, where a circle of blinding light has opened in the sky, growing larger as the two monoliths send up pulsing light. He shields his eyes with his arm, and he thinks he sees Red Skull smile, but he’s not sure.

Steve opens his mouth to ask if it’s done, if he can leave, but he can’t get the words out.

And then, darkness.

He feels like he is falling through a void, gravity pulling him down toward a ground that takes forever to reach. When the sensation finally fades, he keeps his eyes closed. The back of his head and the palms of his hands feel cold, and he realizes he is lying in water.

“Steve.”

The familiarity of the voice nearly stops his heart. His hands bunch into tight fists as he opens one eye slowly to see Natasha standing over him.

He opens the other eye and stares at her. She looks exactly the same, wearing her suit with her hair blonde at the bottom and red at the top and braided to the side.

“Steve,” she repeats, crouching down and putting a hand on his shoulder. Her voice is firm and serious. “Did we win?”

He sits up slowly, putting his hand over her hand. She’s real, and she isn’t dead.  _ A soul for a soul _ . He returned the stone, and the stone returned Natasha.

She repeats her question again, getting impatient. “Did we win?”

He finally manages to respond. “Yes. We won. They’re all back.”

Natasha closes her eyes and holds her face in her hands, letting out a long sigh. “We pulled it off,” she murmurs. When she takes her hands off her face, she looks happy.

Steve stands up, and she’s barely risen from her crouch when he hugs her, nearly lifting her off her feet. “You have no idea,” he says, smiling, “how much we’ve missed you.”

They let go of each other, and she grins. “Of course you’ve missed me.” She turns to look at the ship he came here in, and her grin stretches wider. “Can we go home now?”

Steve throws an arm around her shoulder and turns her toward the ship, almost crying with joy. “Yeah. Let’s go home.”


End file.
